Bayou Bacchanal 2025 Dedicates Weekend To Hurricane Melissa Relief

News Americas, NEW ORLEANS, LA, Oct. 31, 2025: Bayou Bacchanal 2025, New Orleans’ original Caribbean Carnival, will transform its annual celebration into a powerful act of solidarity this weekend – dedicating its festivities to Hurricane Melissa relief efforts across the Caribbean.

St. John’s Anglican Church in Black River, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica is among the churches destroyed by Hurricane Melissa. (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images)

The festival’s producer, Friends of Culture, Inc., announced that 10% of ticket sales from Saturday night’s Caribbean fête will be donated directly to the Jamaica Red Cross Hurricane Melissa Relief Fund, which is working to deliver emergency supplies to communities hardest hit by the Category 5 storm.

Organizers are also urging festivalgoers, sponsors, and supporters across the Caribbean diaspora to make direct donations to the Jamaica Red Cross via jamaicaredcross.org/donate.

“Our roots across the Caribbean remind us that no matter where the storm hits, we all feel it,” said Marilyn LaForce, Founder and Executive Director of Friends of Culture. “Bayou Bacchanal has always celebrated the strength and joy of Caribbean people — now we’re turning that celebration into compassion and action.”

The festivities kick off at 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 1, with a vibrant Caribbean party at Congratulations Event Hall, 1900 Lafayette St., Gretna, Louisiana. Tickets are available both online and at the door.

On Sunday, November 2, the celebrations move to Armstrong Park for the Bayou Bacchanal Parade & Festival, a free, family-friendly event featuring a special moment of reflection and solidarity for Hurricane Melissa victims.

“As we dance, drum, and celebrate, we do so in unity — for the people who need us most right now,” said James C. Carter, Jr., Port of New Orleans Commissioner, President-Elect of the National Bar Association, and Grand Marshal of this year’s parade.

Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-LA) praised the initiative, noting, “Bayou Bacchanal has always been more than a festival — it’s a bridge between the Caribbean and New Orleans, connecting cultures through compassion and community.”

The parade begins at 11 a.m. on Sunday from the Hilton Riverside Hotel and winds through Canal Street, Claiborne Avenue, and Orleans Avenue before culminating at Congo Square, the birthplace of New Orleans’ Afro-Caribbean culture.

From noon to 6:30 p.m., the Congo Square Carnival will feature live performances from St. Lucian soca star Messiah and Pan Vibrations Steelband, alongside Caribbean cuisine, colorful costumes, and local vendors.

Festival Schedule

Saturday, Nov. 1: Ticketed Caribbean Party – Congratulations Event Hall, Gretna, LA (10% of ticket sales donated to Jamaica Red Cross)

Sunday, Nov. 2: Bayou Bacchanal Parade & Festival – Armstrong Park, 10:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. (Free Admission)

How to Help

Donate directly to the Jamaica Red Cross Hurricane Melissa Relief Fund:
https://www.jamaicaredcross.org/donate/

For event details, visit www.friendsofculture.org.